Free Angel: Preferably to broken home
by DracoPendragon
Summary: So I saw this chibi and I thought I'd write a fic on it. Erm, set when Dean was about 9, contains child!Cas, and hints of Destiel. "John Winchester didn't quite know what had made him take in the little angel that day, but he had."
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I found the most adorable Cas chibi and I thought I'd write a fic about it**

**Yeah um, baby!Cas, and hints of Destiel. Written about the time when Dean was 6 or 7. And I own nothing. Other than my laptop and a set of headphones. And a couple other stuff but ah well.**

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John Winchester didn't quite know what had made him take in the little angel that day, but he had.

_He'd been out on a job, interviewing the family of a man who'd been found with his face eaten clean off. He was on the main street of a small town, heading to the hotel room where Dean was looking after Sam, when he'd been grabbed. Instinct had hit in and he struggled against the grip, but it was pretty strong._

"_Stop squirming, hunter, I'm not gonna harm you." The voice was friendly but with a menacing undertone. The owner of said voice was a man who looked no older than 35, with a devilish smile and sparkling eyes._

"_Let go of me then."_

"_Look, you're a hunter, and I'm an angel, 'kay? Now stop squirming you little bug and listen for a sec."_

"_An angel?" John had heard about angels, but they weren't supposed to be real. Mind you, he had come across stranger things._

"_Of the Lord, my good man. Now, I need somewhere to hide my little brother: he draws too much attention and I need to sort something out without any hassle. I assume I can trust you to look after him." The pressure around his arm disappeared and he turned to look at the angel._

"_I'm in the middle of a job right now, and-_

"_So am I. Please. Just keep him holed up somewhere and I'll come get him when I'm done. Won't take long, I promise."_

_John looked around. There was no one next to this angel. "Where is he then?"_

"_Aah. About that. His vessel got compromised and this was the closest one we found." The angel pointed down at a box at his feet. In the box, John saw, was a little toddler, no older than Dean was._

"_I'm not babysitting an angel, I have to hunt down this thing."_

"_Oh come on, I'm not asking you to babysit him, just store him away where he's safe. With your boys, maybe?"_

"_You even dare touch my sons and I'll-_

"_I would never hurt little Sam and Dean. Please, man, just take my brother for a couple days. He's in a toddler form right now, yeah, but he can look after your boys if they need it."_

_John pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance, thinking the situation through. __**I'm already going to Hell, at least this way I know I've done something good for the angels.**__ "Fine, I'll do it."_

"_Great man, I owe you one. If you need me, just pray."_

"_To who?"_

"_The archangel Gabriel." And then the angel was gone, leaving John with the box._

_John looked into the box, at the little angel with bright blue eyes in a too big trenchcoat. "Guess you're coming with me then." The little boy smiled and nodded. John lifted him up out of the box and carried him to the hotel room._

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**A/N: Sorry to leave that there, but I don't think I'll make the chapters longer than 500 words each…**

**This is my first Supernatural fic, so please let me know what you think!**

**Don't worry, I'm trying to update everything as fast as I can, I promise.**

**Until I do, Live Long and Prosper!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So here's the next part of this.**

**Not sure as of yet how good it'll be, seeing as I just watched the last episode of Season 8 of Supernatural omfr *inhuman screeching***

**But anyway, here you guys go.**

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After he'd returned to the hotel room, John had felt like collapsing. He was tired, and he had to waste those bloodsuckers he was hunting before anyone else innocent died.

"Dad, why are you back so early? Did you get all the vampires?"

"Dad, who are you carrying? And why does he have wings?"

"Dean, Sam, meet…"

The messy haired angel piped in at this point. "Castiel. I'm an angel of the Lord."

"Wait. Dad, I thought angels weren't real?"

"What, just like everything else we hunt isn't real?"

"But dad, what's an angel doing here?"

"I was asked to look after him."

"But he's an angel-

"I know, Dean! Please. I'm tired, and I have to go get these vamps. Just look after Castiel. That's an order."

"Yes, dad."

"Good. I'll be back by the end of the week. If I'm not… you know what to do."

"Yes, dad."

"Okay." John kissed his sons on the cheek and walked back out of the hotel room.

* * *

John left an awkward silence in his wake.

_What's with the angel? Is he even really an angel? _Dean had been brought up with the knowledge that monsters and demons, all the things that go bump in the night, were real. _So why think any different of angels?_

"So you're an angel then."

"Yes, I am." came the simple reply.

"Sammy go to sleep."

"But Dean-

"Sam. Go to sleep."

"Why?"

"Because I need to talk to Castiel."

"About what?"

"None of your business."

"Are you two gonna kiss?"

"No, we're not. Sammy, please. Just go to sleep."

"Fine."

* * *

After checking that Sam was indeed sound asleep, Dean sat on the sofa, rifle by his side. He looked at the angel next to him.

"Why are you here?"

Castiel looked confused. "Why am I where?"

Dean sighed and rephrased the question. "Why does my dad have to look after you?"

"My brother Gabriel. He thinks that because I have a toddler vessel I'll hold him up."

"Hold him up in what?"

"We were hunting these things called Hell's Knights: they're special demons, handpicked by Lucifer, extra nasty as well. My vessel got damaged, and this was the closest one I could get to. I can't really fight too well with the body of a 7-year-old, so I'd just hold Gabriel up on his hunt. Gabe asked your dad to look after me for a while, and here I am." The angel explained.

"Oh. Right. Cas- I can call you Cas, right?"

"Cas?"

"A nickname for you. It's short for Castiel, and it's easier to say."

The angel smiled slightly. "Yes, you may call me Cas if you wish."

Dean smiled as well. "Great. Um, Cas?"

"Yes, Dean?"

Dean was suddenly really shy. "Can… can I touch your wings?"

Castiel looked confused for a second. "Well… Yes, okay. You may touch my wings."

Dean raised his hand and ran his fingers over Cas' feathery black wings. They were soft and warm, which made Dean smile.

"Cas? Can I ask you something else?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Well… Do angels sleep?"

"No, not unless we're injured."

"Oh. Well then… Would you let me sleep inside your wings?"

"Yes, of course. Come here."

Dean crawled onto Cas' lap, and felt the feathery wings envelop him. Dean yawned slightly, resting his head on the angel's chest. "Look after Sammy for me. Please, Cas."

"Of course, Dean. I'll make sure you're both safe."

And with the knowledge that he and Sammy would be protected by an angel, Dean fell asleep.

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**AN: So what did you think?**

**Send me praise, or send me flames, I don't really mind. Just let me know if you liked it, or if I could improve it at all.**

**And I will **_**eventually**_**update all my other fics as well. But until then, live long and prosper!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's the next part, guys.**

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Dean woke up on the sofa, a trenchcoat covering him like a blanket. He got up and went to check on Sam. The bed was empty. Dean grabbed the rifle from next to the sofa and whirled around the room, looking for Sam. The room was vacant; he was alone.

The door clicked open and Dean pointed the gun towards it, finger hovering over the trigger. Sam walked in with Castiel, both holding brown bags. Dean didn't lower the rifle.

"Sammy? Where the hell did you go?"

"It's fine, I was with Castiel."

"No it isn't. How do I know you're not both demons?"

Cas stepped forward. "Because demons can't take over a vessel occupied by an angel, Dean. And I made sure Sam was safe. We just wanted to make you some breakfast."

"Cas, you ruined the surprise!" Sam whined.

"Oh. Sorry." The angel frowned.

Dean lowered the gun and hugged Sam. Then he backed away and looked at Castiel. "Dude, what are you wearing?"

Cas looked down at his purple sneakers, knee-length shorts and a retro gamer t-shirt. "What's wrong?"

Dean laughed. "Nothing, you look fine."

Cas smiled slightly. "Thank you. Now, breakfast."

~o:o~

After they'd eaten, they all watched some TV. Sam laughed at the cartoons, and Dean explained what was funny about each of them to Castiel, who sat watching each of them with a confused look on his face.

Dean was in the middle of explaining to Cas what was amusing about a coyote not being able to catch a blue bird when Sam pushed him for being too loud. Dean hadn't been paying attention to his seating position, and ended up tumbling onto Castiel's lap. His face went a dark red as he sat back up whilst mumbling "Sorry."

"It's- it's fine, Dean."

Sam watched the proceedings, sniggering behind his hand. Then he jumped from his seat and ran around the dingy motel room, chanting "Dean's in love with Cas, Dean's in love with Cas!" at the top of his voice as he went.

Dean's cheeks were bright red. "Shut up, Sammy." He growled.

Sam just sniggered in response. Then he stopped. "But how does that work? You're both boys."

"Yeah we are. Sam, there's nothing wrong with two boys being in love, nothing at all. Okay?"

Sam nodded his head in understanding before running over to his bed and grabbing a book.

Dean turned to the angel and sighed. "I'm sorry Cas, Sam gets the wrong idea sometimes, and-

"It's fine, Dean." Castiel assured him.

Dean swivelled his eyes around, avoiding meeting blue eyes with his own. Then he realised something. "Hey, where are your wings?"

"Invisible. I can't really control it though… They only show around certain people." Cas explained.

"Oh right. Well, thanks for letting me sleep in them." Dean whispered. He moved closer to Cas, who was still sat on the sofa, and gently kissed the angel on the cheek, before he turned and walked away to the kitchen unit.

Cas sat there, fingertips grazing his cheek. "You're welcome."

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**A/N: So what did you think?**

**Thanks for reading, Live Long and Prosper.**


	4. Chapter 4

"You hungry, Cas?" Dean aimed his question at the angel who was sitting on the couch, staring intently at the television screen.

"I'm watching this show right now."

"You gotta eat, Cas."

"Dean, I am an angel, I do not require sustenance," he growled, which was slightly scary.

"What?" Cas was talking in long words that confused Dean a lot. The smart words didn't really match the child's body.

Sam looked up from his book. "I think it means he doesn't need food, Dean."

"But everything needs food. Everything," said Sam.

"Yeah, Cas. Sam knows loads, and he's only five. Come on," he said, holding out his half eaten burger. "Try a bit, it's delicious."

Castiel walked slowly over to Dean and took the burger. He looked at it, head tilted to the side in a way that Dean found endearing. He raised it slowly to his mouth, and took a tentative bite. Dean watched eagerly for his reaction as Cas chewed and swallowed. The smallest smile lifted the corners of his mouth as he handed the burger back to Dean. "That was… nice. Thank you, Dean."

"Here, have it." Dean pushed the wrapper into Cas' hands. He waved off the protests he knew were going to come. "Eat, Cas. I already had some." He smiled secretly as he watched his friend—because Castiel was now his only friend other than Sam—ate the rest of the burger neatly.

The angel licked his lips. "Thank you, Dean, for sharing your food with me."

"No problem, man," Dean smiled. "Hey, Cas, I can see your wings!"

The huge, black feathers had suddenly appeared behind Castiel as he'd been eating. He strained to look at them. "Seems they're controlled by feelings," he shrugged.

"Aah, cool."

They were sat on the couch watching cartoons (Castiel's choice) when the eldest Winchester felt a hand gently take hold of his. He turned sideways to look at the angel next to him, who was busy over-analysing the happenings on the TV screen. Dean would usually watch the news when Sam was asleep, to make sure his father hadn't been hurt. Or worse. He wasn't sure what he'd do if that happened. But now wasn't the time to think about it.

"Dean, I can't sleep!" Sam whined from the end bed.

His older brother grabbed the remote and turned the volume down to almost mute. "Better?"

"No," Sam shook his head, floppy hair obscuring his face. "Read me a bedtime story?"

Dean got up from the couch to join Sam. "Sure. Come on, Cas. You're welcome too," he shouted over his shoulder.

Castiel rose to join them as Dean whispered a story to Sam about dragons until the younger Winchester was fast asleep.

"You go to sleep too, Dean. I'll watch over you," said the angel.

"No, it's fine. I don't need-" he was cut off by a yawn. "Oh fine," he sighed, snuggling closer to Cas. "But if anything happens, you wake me asap, okay?"

"Yes, Dean," came the reply as he felt smooth wings wrap around him.

"Night, Cas," he whispered.

"Goodnight, Dean."

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**A/N: Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

Dad wasn't back yet, and Dean began to worry that they'd run out of food before he returned. When he had expressed his worry to Castiel, the angel had left him and Sam alone in that hotel room, which unnerved him.

After ten minutes, there was a small knock at the door. Dean grabbed the shotgun while Sam hid behind the bed, and aimed it at the door. "Who is it?" he called out.

"It's me, Castiel," came the reply.

Shotgun still aimed, Dean went to look through the peekhole, but he couldn't quite reach. He unlocked the door and opened it just a little, before cautiously peeking through the crack. There he could see Castiel, standing in his too big trench coat and holding two plastic bags. Dean pushed the door open further and ushered Cas in.

"What's in the bags, Cas?" he asked as the blue eyed angel walked into the room. Dean put the safety on the gun and placed it under the couch, where he usually stored it.

"I brought food," came the reply. Dean ran over to rummage through the bags.

"Woah, Cas. Where did you get all this?" asked Dean.

"It is not of import, Dean. Just eat, you seem hungry."

"Sammy!" Dean called. "Cas got food!"

The little Winchester put his book down and ran over to where to other two were. "How did you get so much food?" he asked, awestruck.

"I just picked it up from the shop and clicked out."

"Wait," said Dean. "You- you stole from a shop? Isn't that against angel code or something?"

"It isn't like that, Dean. I will make sure Gabriel sees that they're paid for later."

"Gabriel?" asked Sam.

"My brother, the archangel. He's why I'm here with you instead of fighting with him," sighed Cas frustratedly.

"What happened?" asked Dean, curiosity piqued.

"Can that be our bedtime story tonight?" squeaked Sam.

Dean saw the uncertainty in those bright blue eyes. "If Cas doesn't want to tell you, he doesn't have to, okay Sam?" he butted in before the angel had a chance to reply.

"No, Dean, it's fine. I can tell you what happened before you rest tonight."

"You sure?" Dean asked.

The angel nodded his consent and the matter was dropped. "Now," he said. "Anyone hungry?"

They shared out the food, making sure they would definitely have some leftovers to last them at least a couple of days.

"Dean, why do you sleep with Cas?" asked Sam suddenly, making Dean choke slightly on his burger.

"Well, Sammy, I, er… it makes me feel good. Warm, an- and safe," he explained, blushing.

"Dean," began Cas, but the other waved him away.

"Leave it, Cas."

Sam watched the encounter thoughtfully. "Do you love him?"

"Well, I love him like I love you. Is that okay?"

"Yeah. I think you two are good together," said Sam simply before taking a large bite of the salad Castiel had got for him.

Dean looked at Cas and saw that he was smiling shyly. It was cute.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoy the next part**

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After they'd eaten and Dean had made sure Sam was ready for bed, he tucked his baby brother up in the bed sheets, sat on the side of the bed and gestured for Castiel to join them. The angel was wearing his too big trenchcoat again –Dean figured it was because he missed being tall- and he stumbled slightly as he shuffled his way over to the bed.

"You wanted me?" he asked.

"Sit down, Cas," Dean patted the bed next to him gently and Castiel sat down obligingly, like a soldier following orders. Like Dean following his father's orders. "Er, so, will you tell us what happened? With you and Gabriel?"

"Yes. I shall tell you what happened." He paused. "We were hunting one of Hell's Knights. Hell's Knights are very pure, very powerful demons who were handpicked by Lucifer to be some of the first fallen demons. Gabriel and I had been tracking one, and we'd finally cornered it after months of chasing. However, this one was very cunning, she… she got the better of us. I lost concentration, for just the fraction of a second, and she attacked. It was my fault she got away. Gabriel had to find me a new vessel, a new body, my... my grace was dying. This was the closest there was. And then, Gabriel dumped me on you guys so I wouldn't hold him up while he finished it." Castiel looked down as he finished his story. Dean and Sam stared at him until he got up from where he was sat, walked away and stumbled over the too long ends of his coat.

Dean tucked Sam tightly into bed, then made his way over to the couch. He sat next to Cas, who wordlessly turned the channel to the news. They watched in a companionable silence. John wasn't mentioned. Nothing new about anything that could be vampire related was mentioned.

The news programme ended and Castiel turned the television off and took a hold of Dean's hand. They got up and walked over to the other bed in the room, as had become tradition for them. They lay there together, warm beneath Cas' trenchcoat. His wings came out and Dean ran his hand over the fluffy black feathers. "You know, Cas, it isn't your fault. And if it is, then we all make mistakes. But if you're family, you forgive each other, because that's what family does," he whispered to the smaller boy. The angel started shaking, and Dean knew he was crying. He cleared his throat and quietly sung "Carry on my wayward son, there'll be peace when you are done, lay your weary head to rest, don't you cry no more."

"Thank you, Dean. That was very sweet of you."

"You go to sleep, Cas. I'll watch over you."

The angel nodded slightly and curled in closer to the Winchester, nuzzling Dean's chest with his nose. "Goodnight, Dean," he whispered.

"Goodnight, Cas." Dean kept stroking Castiel's feathers as he kept watch over his brother and the angel. And Cas feigned sleep -he did not need it- but he made sure that Dean was always safe.


	7. Chapter 7

Dean was cooking some pasta on the stove for Sam's dinner when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Immediately entering into full awareness mode, he swivelled around to find Sam standing there, fringe too long and looking up at his older brother with a sad look on his face.

"When's dad coming back?" he asked.

Dean paused. He placed the cooking utensils down on the side and wrapped his arms around his brother. "I dunno, Sam. I dunno."

"Dean, I'm scared. What if he doesn't come back this time?"

"He will, Sammy. He always does." Dean felt like he was reassuring himself more than his baby brother when he said that.

Dean turned from where he was sat on the sofa when he heard his name being called. There was Castiel, squinting at the microwave with his head tilted to the side. "What's up, Cas?"

The angel turned to him. "Dean, how do you work a microwave oven?" he asked, a serious look on his face.

Dean smirked slightly. He jumped up from the sofa, and glanced over at Sam. _Little nerd, always reading that book of his,_ Dean thought at the sight of his little brother sat on the bed, nose buried in the book Dean had got (well, stolen) for him at Christmas last year.

"Cas, what does ambiguous mean?" Sam shouted from his perch.

"It means, vague, or uncertain," came the reply, blue eyes still fixed upon the microwave. "Dean, what do I do?"

Dean moved over to the kitchen where Castiel was. "Well, what are you trying to do?"

Castiel blushed, and Dean laughed. "It's a surprise," the angel said. "I cannot tell you or I get into trouble."

"No you don't Cas, that's silly. Have you put the thing in the microwave?" he asked, trying to peer through the tinted glass.

"Yes I have," replied the angel, pushing him gently out of the way.

"How long you gotta put it in for?"

"I don't know. Let me check," said Castiel as he pulled a piece of paper out of his trenchcoat pocket. "It says two minutes."

"So you press the minute button – this one," he pointed at it, "twice, so that you see two minutes come up on the screen here.' He moved his finger to point at the screen. "Then, you press this big button here," he pointed it out. "And it'll go on for two minutes. Then you just have to wait for the beep to tell you it's done, and you can take the thing out."

"Thank you, Dean, for explaining," said Castiel.

"Welcome, Cas." Dean watched as the angel did everything Dean had told him to, wondering what he was up to.

When the two minutes were done, Castiel opened the door and pulled out a small pie. He extended it to Dean. "I made you some pie. It's apple flavoured. I hope."

"So that's what you were doing in the kitchen!" Dean hadn't been allowed in there after dinner because Castiel had refused to let him near it. He bit into the pie carefully, and his stomach growled. It was _really_ good.

"Cas, this is great. Thank you so much," he said, before pulling his friend into a hug.

"You're welcome, Dean," came the reply with a smile.

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**A/N: Okay so I have big exams (well, GCSEs) and stuff this year - eep! So I'm gonna be revising for those a lot and I'm not really sure when I'll be able to update.**

**Please bear with me, I'll try post more as much as I can. Thank you for reading so far and sticking round though, it's greatly appreciated.**


	8. Chapter 8

John still wasn't back, and it had been ten days. However, the trio of boys looked after each other – Castiel got food, Dean was on guard duty and Sam was just Sam.; a little kid, young and innocent, and really smart.

"Hey Cas," Sam called to the angel, looking up from his book for signs of a tan trenchcoat. "What's Heaven like?"

Castiel turned to look at him, brow furrowed in concentration. Dean turned to study him too. "Heaven is…" Castiel began, before faltering. "Heaven is… What is Heaven?" he murmured to himself. Suddenly brightening, he readdressed Sam.

"Heaven is home. It is large, and spacey, and beautiful. Heaven is a place of light, full of good people."

"And the angels?" Sam asked, entranced.

"The angels are creatures of beauty. They keep the peace and calmness of Heaven and their grace fills the air. Their wings are made of the finest feathers, and they are all beautiful." Castiel sat there, caught up in his own vision. Dean looked at him.

"Do you miss it?" he asked.

Cas turned to him. "I do. But I am here on Earth for a reason. And if I had not come here, I would not have met you. I'm happy I did."

Dean clasped him on the shoulder, and smiled. "I'm glad you came here too, Cas."

* * *

After Sam had gone to sleep, and they had checked the news, Cas and Dean stayed up, talking.

"How old are you?" Dean was eager to know.

"Very old," was all Castiel said on the subject, deciding instead to steer the conversation in the direction of how amazingly clever Sam was.

Dean beamed with pride as he looked over at the sleeping pile on the other bed that was his baby brother. "Sam's a genius," he said.

"He is very clever. Destined for…" Castiel quietened.

Dean looked concerned. "Destined for what, Cas? What were you gonna say?"

"Nothing. I have said too much."

"What do you know that I don't?"

"I know a lot of things you don't, Dean," growled the angel. Dean backed away slightly, and Cas' expression softened. "I'm sorry. I am not allowed to tell you things like that."

"I get it Cas," Dean whispered, wrapping his arms around the other boy and breathing in the smell of the trenchcoat he had got used to. "Can I still sleep in your wings tonight?"

Cas seemed confused by the idea of Dean _not_ sleeping in his wings. "Yes, of course." He pulled away and checked the door was locked and bolted before going to sit on the edge of Dean's bed. He looked over at the other boy expectantly. "Are you not joining me?"

"Yeah sure. Just let me see this clip of news," said Dean, focused on the television.

After a while, he shrugged it off and joined Cas, and the two lay in bed next to one another. At some point in the night, Castiel wrapped his hand around Dean's comfortingly, but Dean was already asleep.

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**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, I'll update whenever I'm not trying to work my way through tons of revision for exams.**


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